Leavey School of Business News Blog

Business Today

Monday, May. 21, 2012 10:41 AM

Applications for SCU’s unique program for early-stage entrepreneurs are due June 1, and space is filling rapidly, according to Daniel Aguiar, executive director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

Up to 36 California-based companies will be selected to participate in the California Program for Entrepreneurship (CAPE), a series of classes, workshops, mentorships, and networking led by Santa Clara University faculty and augmented by the school’s Silicon Valley connections, beginning in July. Launched in 2010, CAPE adds to the California economy by supporting individuals and teams in the start-up phase of their enterprises.

The cost of the subsidized program is $5,000 per participant, with reduced fees for multiple applicants from the same venture. SCU alumni and current students are eligible for a $2,000 fellowship from the business school, bringing their cost to $3,000. More information and a link to the extensive online application is found at www.scu.edu/business/cie/CAPE.cfm.

Selection will be based on the quality of the business concept, the opportunity for growth and scalability, and the potential to make an economic impact on the community. More than 40 entrepreneurs, most with ongoing ventures, participated in the first two CAPE programs.

Those selected will complete virtual exercises, work with faculty coaches and mentors, and join colleagues in two weekend onsite sessions. In September, the cohort will come to the Santa Clara campus for an intensive, week-long workshop, after which they will prepare a business ‘pitch’ under the guidance of Silicon Valley executive mentors. Two post-workshop weekend sessions will prepare group members to compete in a $5,000 business plan contest in November for the final onsite session and certificate ceremony.

“CAPE has proved to be a valuable training ground for businesses that need an extra edge for marketing, strategizing, focusing their business plan, or discovering finance options,” said Daniel Aguiar, executive director of the business school’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a former entrepreneur. “Our goal is to turn promising businesses into prosperous employers for communities around California.”

Wednesday, Jul. 13, 2011 5:23 PM

Armed with the zeal of the startup and the drive to create jobs in California, some 29 entrepreneurs from around the state will kick off the second fully subsidized California Program for Entrepreneurs (CAPE) this weekend at Santa Clara University.

Class members of 2011 are trying to build businesses in everything from allergy alerts to fashionable grocery totes, cancer treatment systems to wind-farm power storage. The cohort arrives on campus Friday, July 15, for orientation and the first of four weekends of on-site classes.

Through November the group will participate free of charge in a series of classes, workshops, mentorships and networking led by Santa Clara business faculty and augmented by the unique Silicon Valley connections of the University's Leavey School of Business.

“With our faculty equipping these new business leaders with marketing, finance, operations, and strategic management expertise, these innovations will soon be in the marketplace and adding to California’s economic well-being,” said Daniel Aguiar, co-founder of CAPE and executive director of the business school's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which puts on the program.

“Consumers are looking for products and services which help them improve health, reduce energy consumption, and manage increasingly complex technology,” he added. “Our participants have innovative ideas to meet these needs.”

The success of the 2010 CAPE pilot inspired the growth of its second group.

“Members of our first class have gone on to place their products with major retailers and move into national networks,” said Drew Starbird, business school dean and co-founder of the program, “This program helps lead the way to prosperity for communities around California."

The program’s expansion was supported by members of the Leavey School of Business Advisory Board, who provided scholarships for the 2011 participants. The school’s Executive Development Center also has continued its generous subsidy of the course.